What hidden benefits does business class on Amtrak Cascades offer?
score:5
Accepted answer
"Priority boarding and detraining" sounds like a small benefit -- it is anything, but. At least when going north into Vancouver, BC. You will be lining up for border/customs outside and if the line is long enough, then on the platform, under open sky as well (there's an awning but only so many people fit under that). So "priority detraining" in this direction is a massive benefit as it includes priority through the border. If you add "Fewer passengers in each car" compounded by the fact that not only there are fewer seats in the first place, even fewer will be occupied because people don't realize what I just described. So your chances of just hopping off the train and walking right up to the border official without much waiting is pretty good.
Going south I haven't been able to see any reason to waste money on a business ticket, though.
Upvote:6
- A business class ticket includes a voucher for $3 credit in the bistro.
- Business class passengers may use the Metropolitan Lounge at Portland, Oregon station (the only lounge on the Cascades route). This offers free coffee and chilled water, and is both less crowded and better air conditioned than the main station hall. Boarding is straight from the lounge. However, the lounge opening hours do not coincide with all Cascades services (we could not access it for the southbound 9:45AM departure).
- Business class carriages are arranged 1-2 rather than 2-2; thus you have better chances at a window seat, and if travelling alone you can do so without a seatmate.
- There are fewer seats in business class carriages anyway, and in my experience the load factor is also lower. On my most recent Cascades trip, my wife and I were the only passengers in the carriage! This means a more peaceful experience, better ratio of luggage racks to passengers etc.
Business class may offer better earning in Amtrak rewards; I am unfamiliar with the details of that scheme as it is not available to non-Americans.
More post
- 📝 Can I renew visitor visa while in Canada, visit the US and return to Canada?
- 📝 American Airlines size 26 will I fit in the seat?
- 📝 How do I insure my money?
- 📝 Are there any discounts if combining multiple flights?
- 📝 Hamburg and surroundings, cost of year-long transportation ticket?
- 📝 Dual National Travel back home using expired passport as Visa
- 📝 Do any other bodies of water have as much salt as the Dead Sea?
- 📝 Passport queue length in UK in relation to arrival method
- 📝 In what city is this bus (tram?) located?
- 📝 Going to the US as a tourist for six months
- 📝 Spanish student travelling to Ypres holding only a Spanish ID Card and no passport
- 📝 How do I correct missing departure records?
- 📝 Are there any countries that will not allow entry with a Japanese visa stamp in my passport?
- 📝 Is it possible to check, before I buy an airline ticket, whether the TSA will be able to confirm my identity without normal proof of identity?
- 📝 Quickest way to get to Jersey from Amsterdam
- 📝 Past asylum seeker in the UK - can I now be a tier 2 dependent?
- 📝 UK hotel overcharged credit card, where to complain?
- 📝 Could I go to another country to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in time for an event?
- 📝 Presence in Switzerland on B permit
- 📝 What happens at connections when flying standby from the US?
- 📝 Options for an inexpensive short stay near Tempe, AZ, USA
- 📝 Bringing a desktop computer to Germany in hand luggage
- 📝 Is there a car-rental scheme that works worldwide?
- 📝 Safety tips when leaving luggage and papers behind
- 📝 Does visiting multiple EU countries in succession require a multiple-entry Schengen visa?
- 📝 Do I have to disclose my pen name as an Alias to immigration?
- 📝 Time for international-international transfer in Ataturk airport
- 📝 Why are they not asking me about my passport number for my booking?
- 📝 European roaming data provider, which SIM cards can be purchased on-line / in Poland
- 📝 Trying to figure out the hours and timing for Mount Roberts tramway in Juneau, Alaska
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What hidden benefits does business class on Amtrak Cascades offer?
- 📝 What perks does an award business class ticket not get vs revenue tickets?
- 📝 I'm travelling to USA for business (B1/B2). My wife is accompanying me for tourism with B1/B2 visa. What documents does she need for immigration?
- 📝 What is the cheapest business or first class flight I can book and fly?
- 📝 What does First class (fare class F) on Jetstar Airways mean?
- 📝 What destinations does Air Calin class as long haul?
- 📝 What visa does my family need to go with me on my business trip to Hong Kong?
- 📝 What does "Gate W" mean for a track assignment of an Amtrak train at Penn Station?
- 📝 What does "Resident" mean in the context of car rental in US?
- 📝 Why does CTRIP only offer lap-child from 0-2 for international flights?
- 📝 My boarding pass has TSA Pre on it but no check mark. What does that mean?
- 📝 What does "Your ticket gate closes 30 minutes before departure" mean on a Thalys ticket?
- 📝 How can physically disabled people who aren't flying first or business class use the lavatory on a Lufthansa A340-600?
- 📝 What does prepayment mean on booking.com?
- 📝 What time does the Tbilisi to Istanbul bus depart?
- 📝 What does a genuine TSA badge look like?
- 📝 What are the limiting times at an Amtrak train to get respective meals?
- 📝 What does a unique size in inches on a traveling bag represent?
- 📝 What are the major 'types' of insurance offered with car rental and what does each one mean in practice?
- 📝 What does BAG at the beginning of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines' Customer and Product Record mean?
- 📝 What does the expression 'Prepayment' mean in hotel booking terms?
- 📝 Does the Amtrak SW Chief serve breakfast prior to arrival in LA?
- 📝 What does "Baggage Allowance 1PC" mean on an SAS flight reservation?
- 📝 What does "Leave to enter for six months" on a UK visitor visa mean?
- 📝 When you go to US Passport Control, what does the agent see about you?
- 📝 What category does my (expired) residency permit fall, when it comes to UK visa applications?
- 📝 Business class on Iberia / Canadair RJ 1000
- 📝 What does the Australian eVisitor visa allow you to do in terms of leaving and re-entering?
- 📝 What does it mean when a tractor-trailer flashes his brights on a US highway?
- 📝 What are the benefits to scheduling an Uber Ride ahead of time?